ANALYSIS | What’s in a name? Zim politics has a serious identity crisis

Zimbabwe is in a state of flux with 122 vacancies in both parliament and local government, and with no sign of when the Covid-19 pandemic will allow by-elections to take place.

Two years before the next general elections, the results of by-elections would be a strong indicator of the support bases for both the ruling Zanu-PF and the hugely divided opposition.

At the moment, there are 39 vacancies for the opposition MDC Alliance in parliament and another 81 MDC Alliance vacancies in local government after a mass recall. The recall came after a supreme court ruling concluded the election of Nelson Chamisa as opposition leader was unlawful. Chamisa took over after Morgan Tsvangirai died but was never elected at a party congress.

After the court ruling in March 2020 — just before Covid-19 hit Southern Africa in full force — a new MDC Alliance leader was elected legitimately at the party congress: Douglas Mwonzora. Since then, a splinter group has left the MDC Alliance to follow Chamisa, also calling themselves the MDC Alliance.

Another two vacancies arose in parliament from the Zanu-PF camp: former lands minister Perence Shiri and former foreign affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo both died of Covid-19.

Last week, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s (ZEC) chief elections officer, Utoile Silaigwana, said the body would resume voter registration and other election programmes at the beginning of April.

But he added that by-elections would only be held when the Covid-19 pandemic is under control.

For Chamisa and the MDC Alliance it’s an opportunity to demonstrate that they still have the support of the people despite Zanu-PF’s attempts to destabilise them over the past year by backing surrogates and choreographing defection.

—  Alex Magaisa, former prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s special adviser

That has not stopped stakeholders from calling for by-elections. Eighteen organisations, including residents’ organisations from Zimbabwe’s towns and cities, said in a recent statement: “Our representative democracy is now in intensive care because the electorate is being denied their right to choose leaders.”

The delay has not prevented political parties from canvasing voters. The MDC, led by Mwonzora, has openly declared that the party would use the MDC Alliance name during by-elections. This is despite Chamisa’s outfit being known as the MDC Alliance — a name it carried during the contested July 2018 general elections.

Chamisa’s spokesperson, Fadzayi Mahere, quipped that despite the recall of its elected officials and Zanu-PF’s underhand dealings to divide the opposition, they will rise to the occasion.

“They’ve tried taking our elected representatives. They stole our funds. They violently invaded our building. The theft of our name is the latest stratagem to try to hoodwink the people,” she said.

But Chamisa’s outfit is on its knees. Numerous officials such as former senator James Makore, former party spokesperson Obert Gutu, legislator Tongai Matutu, former deputy treasurer Lilian Timveos and Blessing Chebundo, the ex-opposition legislator for Kwekwe Central who famously beat president Emmerson Mnangagwa during parliamentary elections in 2008, have all joined Zanu-PF. 

Mnangagwa received the high profile-defectors at State House where they took turns to castigate their former leader Chamisa.

The secretary for security in the Zanu-PF politburo, Lovemore Matuke, told Sunday Times Daily they would welcome everyone leaving Chamisa with open arms.

Alex Magaisa, former prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s special adviser during the power sharing pact with Mugabe between 2009 and 2013, said by-elections would present Chamisa with a chance to rejuvenate his party’s political ambitions.

“For Chamisa and the MDC Alliance it’s an opportunity to demonstrate that they still have the support of the people, despite Zanu-PF’s attempts to destabilise them over the past year by backing surrogates and choreographing defections,” he said.

He added that a lot was at stake for Zanu-PF too.

“For Zanu-PF, it’s an opportunity to grab space from the opposition, since the majority of the seats are in opposition strongholds. Even getting one seat will be hailed as progress. The only loss they fear is that their surrogates will lose badly and the false opposition they are trying to create will have run its course.”

For the other MDC, led by Mwonzora, it’s an opportunity for them to show their clout, said Magaisa.

“The most important thing is that it will be a litmus test for the MDC led by Mwonzora, which so far has been riding on the political capital of the MDC Alliance which was led by Chamisa in the last election.

“So far, they have benefited from favourable decisions of the state and its institutions, but now they will have to face the people. It’s time for them to show that they are a serious political force with their own capital,” he said.